It has long been the practice in the U.S. for the Postal Service to deliver mail to curbside receptacles or mailboxes and to pick up mail which is to be delivered from such receptacles. In order to facilitate the efficient delivery, collection, and protection of mail, the U.S. Postal Service has enacted regulations which prohibit items other than postal service mail delivered by, or to be collected by, the Postal Service from being placed in such receptacles or mailboxes. This notwithstanding, direct delivery items such as newspapers, magazines, circulars, notices, packages and the like, are often improperly placed in mailboxes. This misuse of mailboxes generally occurs because mailboxes offer a convenient receptacle for receiving such delivered items, and often delivery to the mailbox obviates the necessity of taking a directly delivered item to the door of a residence or office.
A partial solution to this problem has come as a result of the use of curbside newspaper receptacles which avoid the improper use of the mailbox to hold newspapers. Whereas newspaper receptacles are useful in accommodating the delivery of newspapers, they can be unsuitable receptacles for receiving other direct delivery items such as packages. Moreover, newspaper distributors discourage the use of newspaper receptacles for other purposes such that the receptacles will remain free to receive their newspapers.
Certain other receptacles devised in an effort to solve problems associated with the delivery of postal service mail and direct delivery items are disclosed in the following U.S. Letters patents:
______________________________________ Pat. No. Inventor(s) Issue Date ______________________________________ D 254,635 W. Earle Apr 1, 1980 D 324,444 R. P. Cummings Mar 3, 1992 379,302 J. B. Archer Mar 13, 1888 479,576 J. Spear Jul 26, 1892 1,124,817 C. Scott Jan 12, 1915 1,137,740 A. Challeen May 4, 1915 1,579,665 S. C. Sherry Apr 6, 1926 2,142,901 A. S. Kellam Jan 3, 1939 2,194,900 N. C. Helten Mar 26, 1940 2,267,072 J. D. Beggs Dec 23, 1941 2,452,667 A. J. Lambert Nov 2, 1948 2,527,601 W. O. Turnidge Oct 31, 1950 2,945,621 W. A. Kopprasch, et al. Jul 19, 1960 3,107,848 M. G. Penta Oct 22, 1963 4,333,603 R. A. Carlson Jun 8, 1982 4,602,721 R. R. Hicks Jul 29, 1986 4,848,650 J. C. Roberts, II Jul 18, 1989 ______________________________________
and in Canadian Patent No. 463.060 issued to D. Becker on Feb. 7, 1950. However, such devices fail to provide a comprehensive and efficient delivery system within U.S. Postal Service specifications to accommodate the delivery of postal service mail and various direct delivery items.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a delivery system for receiving postal service mail delivered, and to be delivered, by the U.S. Postal Service or other governmental postal authority, and for receiving direct delivery items and packages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a delivery system which is readily positioned at a curbside location.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a delivery system which reduces the time necessary for postal service employees to deliver mail, and obviates the improper use of the postal service mail receptacle.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a delivery system which provides separate receptacles for incoming and outgoing mail to facilitate the efficient delivery and collection and increased security of mail.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a delivery system which can be manufactured and maintained at low cost.